If you were a fan of The Boys, then you’re going to love GEN V because it’s everything you loved in The Boys and more, but if you have no idea what The Boys is, then no sweat, you can get hooked on to GEN V regardless, as the show holds its own in every aspect.
In today’s world us millennials need something to laugh about amidst our crisis to come to terms with being an adult, the hectic workday, the state of the world, and daily struggle of life, and GEN V does just that by combining hilarious relatable moments from superhero characters who are also going through it while having to also deal with magical superpowers, and the repercussions of their parents’ choices.
The show is brilliant in the way that it uses comedy, higher-ups and older adults, taking advantage of their students that they’re supposed to be looking after, and often those you rely on will disappoint you and that positions of power will take advantage of those they are supposed to protect.
Gen V is developed by Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Craig Rosenberg, all executive producers of “The Boys,” and show run by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. The show is set at the Vought-run Godolkin University or God U. Under the supervision of Dean Indira Shetty (played by Shelley Conn), the prestigious school is home to training superpowered individuals, known as “supes.” These superhumans have a wide range of career options, including crime fighting and the world of showbiz. Everything is all sweet until an epic disaster throws everything they knew ou the wised, and the students must come together to put a stop to the real evil at the heart of God-U.
The coming-of-age story is one of the most realistic college experience show we have seen, particularly with the way the story explores issues and struggles we deal with through the superpowers and obstacles the students face.
The series cast includes Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi. With special features from stars Clancy Brown and Jason Ritter, Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and P.J. Byrne, who reprise their roles from The Boys.
To fulfill our GEN V fandom, we spoke with co-showrunner Michele Fazekas and executive producer Eric Kripke on bringing a show like GEN V to audiences and setting it apart from the Boys and its success.
Both Eric and Michele share that they really wanted the show to stand on its own and it does just that, “We want people to be able to jump into this show having never seen the boys and still enjoy it on its own.”
If you have not tuned into episodes yet you can catch episodes 1-5 on Prime, and some gory shocking moments will make you go oooh, and it all looks visually insane (in a good way).
When it comes to the superpowers that were bestowed upon the characters the the show, Michele and Eric share that they wanted the powers to be metaphors for what those particular adolescents were going through.
“Every power is actually a character metaphor. Marie has real control issues, and so she cuts herself to feel. Emma has body dysmorphia…..Jordan is able to fluidly change between one gender and another and be literally gender fluid. And golden boy literally explodes from the pressure of being the golden boy.”
This makes the content more relatable and explains why a fanbase is so quick to form. You get the millennials, you get Gen Z, you get teens, these are things we have all gone through life and the experience doesn’t change.
“All of those things are built into these characters, giving them a real psychological underpinning. Which I think goes to what Michelle’s saying, that it’s never shocking for being shocking. For example, the episode where Marie wakes up in Rufus’ dorm room and blows up his d***. “That comes to a very real place of women who are in college, who are coerced into having sex or who find themselves in danger from predators.” While made for entertainment, GEN V makes you feel as though you are not alone and there is a light at the end of the tunnel no matter what you have been through.
Many of the show’s wonderful graphic moments and gory R-rated effects were the real deal. With all the blood and splatter, and some larger-than-life moments, we had to find out what the genius behind it all was, and to find out that the giant five-foot-tall p**** was actually a huge model that was built for filming! The creativities behind it wanted accuracy and the real deal and you can see their efforts come through on screen.
GEN V gets an 11/10 from me! Catch it on Prime now!